Friday, November 28, 2008

Media's role during Mumbai terrorist attack: Looking for TRP in a Tragedy

Indian media failed to rise to the occasion once again. It was a tragedy that unfolded in Mumbai for 48 hrs but channels didn't appear sombre and regulated.

Instead, they were over-excited and showing everything as if it was a 'live war reporting' though wars aren't reported in this manner either.

There were alerts, flashes, scrawls and breaking new for 50 hrs. The aim was to grab eyeballs. Ads were not shown as the viewer could switch to other channel in the meantime.

The news channels wanted highest TRP in this troubled times, so that they can later demand higher rates for advertisements and stay up on chart.

Much will be discussed in the coming days whether it was prudent to show the positions of police, commandos and officials in the initial stage of encounter in Taj Hotel that left officers, ATS chief Hemant Karkare and others dead.

Celebrity reporters' questionable conduct

Worst was the conduct of the so-called celebrity reporters who wanted their cameramen to zoom on everything as they lay on the ground. A star reporter-cum-anchor spoke lying on the ground to create the impact that he was reporting from warzone.

Others were not sure how to be on the ground and either grotesquely prostrated themselves or laid down on their back or side. The same anchor was drunk when he first appeared in the first hour of the tragedy.

The slur was visible and he was cut short. He later re-appeared on Thursday morning. In the end, all these channels together made a tamasha of the tragedy and served it to audience as if it was any other tamasha.

Where on earth the reporters are allowed to mob such a site? The government also woke up very late and by the time the TV channels stopping showing 'live' [7 pm on Friday], it was already too late. But our electronic media made a mockery of itself.

21 comments:

Sunita
said...

I don`t know why ....but i m reminded of some strange incidents ....when i look at how Mumbai has been targetted and terrorised !

Well ....to look at what i present .....there are some things similar to both the incidents .Hmmmm ....i don`t know how far i could make sense.....but i feel .....this piece of matter that came across my mind ....did make sense to me !

Well ...to get down on what i really mean ......i kind of feel ...that the blasts n firing in Mumbai`s Taj n Oberoi Hotel are more or less similar to the blasts that took place in Islamabad this year in September in the J.W.Marriott hotel.

On September 20, 2008 the Marriott hotel in Islamabad came under attack from militants.It was turned into ashes when a suicide bomber crashed into the entrance gate of the hotel resulting in many casualties especially because the hotel caught fire due to the explosion of a gas cylinder, it is said that the explosives in the truck were of about 600kg.

Though the only thing that could be similar in these two cases could be the 5 star hotel attacks. Maybe ! ...but i thought ....it made sense to me ....because....just around ....two days before the blasts.......i myself. ...saw some .....videos being re-run in some channels .

Theres one more thing i noticed........the day before the blasts....some news channels were reporting about these blasts......and some other blasts.....because of which .....the Austrialians who were supposed to tour Pakistan cancelled their trip....and so did many other countries.Something similar happened here ! Austrailian Cricket team plus the England Cricket team are now possibly not touring the Country anymore for security reasons .

Well .....though not much for concern .....i do find things in common. It could just be a co-incidence for some,but for people like me,its more than what meets the eye ! :l

So here i wish to bring this article into the limelight ...and hope its worth giving a glimpse to what matters are likely .

Hoping this article could be of some importance.....i sign off .....askin people not only in this city of Mumbai,but throughout India,to be Alert and Aware of whatever`s happening around them.

If u look closely they were quite different in their modus operandi. While in the Marriot blast a suicide bomber rammed a truck full of rdx into the hotel and it caught a massive fire due to the presence of a gas pipeline. In the Mumbai incident, for the first time in the world, guerilla militants landed via the sea and opened indiscriminate fire before taking hostages in 3 places. The men, all of whom seemed below 25yrs, apparently were very well equipped and in terms of training were light years ahead of our policemen, maybe even better than our commandos (read the TOI, 100commandos Vs 2 men). The coincidence is there but you didnt specify what that implies. In our case we do not even know the intentions of the terrorists. All we know is they have connections across the border in Pakistan. Media reports even suggested they were British Pakistanis and could speak fluent English. Wonder what drives such young men with great potential to commit such dastardly acts??With everything over now, wonder what we must be doing next. Strenghten our police and intel system. I guess that can help but that only to an extent. Its tough to stop a man who is not afraid to die instead he seeks salvation or martyrdom in it. We cannot do to Pak what USA did to Afghanistan(remember we are not USA and Pak is not Afghan, its a nuclear power). We need to look at the root of the problem. Why does a young man who has a life in front of him, choose the path of death and terror. For someone to be so highly motivated he must have a cause. Lets look into that cause, may be we can find a way to redress it. This seems highly unlikely though. Media reports suggested they were avenging attrocities against Kashmiris. A TV channel which talked to the militants inside Taj has been served a notice by the I&B Ministry "for giving a platform to terrorists to voice their grievance". The notice termed the channel anti national. Makes me wonder what it is that the Ministry didnt want to be out.Many in the current political scenario would be quite happy with 26/11. It gives them ammo against the Government afterall. I dont think anything would change. We as a nation are only getting back what we are rewarding. Politicians who incite pogroms and genocides of minorities are voted to power with thumping majorities and are labelled "able administrators". A politician who overlooked the razing of a mosque 15 yrs ago is touted to be the future PM. As long as we keep rewarding these people, this is what we(includes Indian Muslims like me) deserve. Sad and Harsh, but True.

Sunii..yea..After goin thru wat u hv concisely put in...I too found an innocuous similarity..concerning both the traumatic incidents..Though,wen u move forward to observe the finer points.. The modus operandi of both the militant attacks seem strikingly different ...Dis mainly includes their strategy..chalking out the entire plan...d open confrontation of the so-called jehadis wid d public..D swaggering of bullets..n brandishing sophisticated weapons and artillery.. into the heart of the city...Reeling under a major economic crisis..This fiasco was the least that we Mumbaikars had ever expected...The horrifying news of the open firings and violence sent shivers down my spine...it being a bolt from the blue..The fact that shook me to the core was the open confrontation of the so-called Terrorists..which shuddered the public..

Due to the apparent targetting of British and American citizens,and the pattern of co-ordinated attacks, Islamic terrorists are thought to have been responsible for the turn-up of the ghastly events..

Being a student…it is at dis tym dat our clsses get over..n we journey back home..a long way down d Central line…

On a personal note… it shook me hard to think of what wud hv been the situation of my family members had it been me out dere.. involved in d utter chaos.. wich was all pervading.. yesterday.. n continues to haunt the streets of mumbai today..

N to think of the plight of thousands of such families.. who found their stomachs churn at d mentioning of the turn-up of the events..with deir kith n kin abstaining from home..

The loss entirely was ours..in all aspects..D nation woke up to the saddening news of losing three of d bravest n most valiant officers in d attacks..who fearlessly laid down demselves in service to OUR nation..Jus to ensure that the rest of d city sleeps in peace..But the fundamental questionz remain:WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF ALL DIS..??WAT DID DESE PEOPLE WANT TO PROVE..??WHO DID DEY THINK DEY CUD SUPPRESS..??Mumbai has had the nerve to go back to normal life.. in the face of terror..DIS IS WAT IS MUMBAI.. DIS IS OUR SPIRIT..HAIL MUMBAI..!!HAIL MUMBAIKARS..THREE CHEERS TO THE UNDEFEATED SPIRIT AND COURAGE OF ALL D MUMBAIKARS..!!!KUDOS..!!We shall pledge to remain undaunted by the faze… n carry on wid our lives..WE SHALL REMAIN UNITED AT DIS JUNCTURE….AND PAY HOMAGE TO ALL D NOBLE SOULS WHO VALIANTLY AND FEARLESSLY SACRIFICED DEIR LIVES TO PROTECT US.. TO PROTECT THE WHOLE OF MUMBAI..!!!AISWARIA

This note is for the author. I'm a reporter with a U.S. newspaper writing a story about Indian media's coverage of the attacks and am looking to speak with media critics. Would you be interested in being interviewed for this? if yes, please email me your contact numbers asap at supershef@gmail.com. Once you email me, I can give more details of my publication etc. thanks much!

Well. ....to start with .....i have clearly mentioned it above ...that it is just some common incidents that i thought......happened at both the places. So,for me ...the target of 5 star hotel and the cricket teamscancelling their tour is similar is what i said :) .

anyway coming to your point ...... well not only the police personnel or the intel should bestrenghtened.It is our relations too which has to be strenghtened.To be mor precise there should not be any Hindu-Muslim-Christian-Sikh division amongst ourselves.When we ourselves divide our own community into a community of Hindus n Muslims by far,we our selves create space for them to intervene and grow on this hatred.We allow them to do whatever they want to ....and by far ....target a minority community ....saying that it has to be them,only because......some of the militants could have been of that community.Well .......needless to say.........the politicians enter here ! .... they play safe .. they know .....who likes whom......and where theres hatred !

Like you said the a politician who overlooked the razing of a mosque 15 yrs ago is touted to be the future PM !! .... This is how they work ........they target people ....of different communities......put them against each other ......n bank votes ! .... Why cant we,as citizens of this country which is growing strongly on the basis of this distinction .....come together.....put our problems behind...or the so-called hatred behind .....and stand united against Terrorism ? There are these politicians who unecessarily .....create a different group within a city saying that .....they are the insiders and the rest the outsiders !! Where were they .....when we faced such a huge crisis ? why didnt they come out and fight from the front,which they normally unecessarily do to shoo away outsiders ! There were these NSG men ....who werent even the insiders ....or didnt even think about being an insider.....they were largely .......people from the North,Bihar and South as per reports.They fought from the front so that ...these politicians who divide people on the basis of being an insider could sleep at their place peacefully.....without even bothering about their own life ! Enough is Enough ! .....why cant we stand up against such politicians show them the way....tell them ....that they are not gonna get what they want,v wont mend our ways !!...Its high time people realise all this ..... and stand up for Equality,Justice,Peace......... and stand up against these Politicians who divide people,Terrorism,Corruption !

The second issue being .....u said ... a TV channel which talked to the militants inside Taj has been served a notice by the I&B Ministry "for giving a platform to terrorists to voice their grievance".and that the notice terms the channel anti-national.Well ......theres no reason to wonder out here. Like why do you even want to air the militants ...who have held so many innocent lives as hostages ....and killed so many ! What makes u even think of airing dem?There is absolutely no need for it ,like after all ....even if they were aired,imagine the TRP the channel could have got,but lets not talk about it .....talk about the undue attention the terrorists could have got !!It could have been a havoc for people who were watching TV Live for news updates.....like what if .....just to create a terrorisng image .....they hold someone on gun-point and talk to the media ?? Anyway ........am sure the I n B ministry took the measure they had ....after vizualising what the consequences could have been ! ...

I hope i made my point clear.....and think that people out here ...would more or less ....agree wid my point of view .

Well .....if you read what my post is ....it is the second one :) .... and not the 1st one .... ! And i specifically only talk about the similarities ....which are indeed ...not much ......but they had afterall the same after-effects ! ..

And well .....i support the media completely ....because they were the only medium through which we knew what was happening around us at such a point of time.I remember we had a blackout of all the news channels day before yesterday .i.e. on 28th November,2008 for roughly around 2 hours !......This was pretty indiscriminate. Agreed some news channels were goin overboard and sensationalising the news,but what the board could have done is ....put some rules and regulations over what could be broadcasted instead of a total black out of all that we had ! It was a very irresponsible step on the part of our ministry.

well ....just one thing i would like to say is ......its time people take our Mumbaikar Spirit lightly!! .. High time i must say....its not that .....we are taking it all lightly......even we are affected by it all ...but we continue to work ....because .....it is our Necessity. Imagine one single day ....that the whole of Mumbai stops functioning !! ....the amount of people affectedby it .....the number of houses which run without their daily-income ! ..

Its pretty unthinkable ...... and that is the reason that Mumbai never stops ....or never sleeps .It is the financial capital of our country .....the back bone ...of the nation .....so even when we face such terrorising incidents we continue to walk out free on streets.....not because none of us are afraid ...but because ...its necessary!! We need to work ....to slog ....even at such situations .....to fulfill our needs .....if not us ...atleast the lower middle class has to ....which has always been the target of the terrorists...... ! ... this time though it was different ! ..

Anyway ....hoping i made my point clear. .... and that u agree on what i said ... ! .

dear Akshay, you have said that the terrorist should be punished in your comment but have all indians forgotten the 13/12/2001 attack on the indian parliament????????????

the prime accused is found guilty in all courts of law but still the incumbent government is not ready to give him any kind of punishment...... instead they are giving him nice security and keeping him safe in jail....

what about those martyr's who died in that attack...

do we even remember thier names ???

i am sure that after some months or years or even days we all will forget the names of these people who gave thier lives for us ...

the security agencies like the IB, departments like Police, ATS and all other top government depts. are in the hands of these politicians who keep all officials like puppets in thier hands and tell them to act accoring to thier cheap & disgracefull political whims & ideas......

and even the top govt. officials instead of being faithfull to common man are more loyal to these politicians because even they want to enjoy the big posts given by the politicians to them so ofcourse they are more loyal to them than the general public....

I think the coverage turned into a battle for who gets the maximum air time! Barkha Dutt kept moving from one location to another as soon as the conflict would get over at her location. Even a regular viewer like me could tell that she was craving for all the attention. Somebody needs to tell her that she should report and not exagerate. By far, she was the worst reporter on the groud.

Is it that when today I hear the Pakistani Leaders speak on Mumbai Attacks I only hear a repetition of the line, which has been adopted by the Indian media.

Or should I put it the other way around.

Why is it that when I open any Indian News channel I only hear the line, which is being adopted by the Pakistani Establishment and Media.

Which way I put it really does not matter.

What matters is that now for many days the Indian Media and the Pakistanis Establishment has been speaking in one voice and jointly claiming that the Mumbai Attacks have been caused due to the failure of Indian Government and it’s intelligence and defence services.

The Pakistani Establishment and the terrorists, seem to have now discovered the merits of the golden rule that had been propounded by our erstwhile British Rulers::

DIVIDE and RULE.

Pakistan is aware that India is enraged due to the Mumbai Attacks.

It is also aware from the reactions of the Indian People and the Government of India that this time the matter cannot be and would not be brushed under the Carpet and definitive action would be taken against the terrorists and their sponsors. Government of Pakistan is aware that if it does not co-operate in the war against those who are responsible for the attacks, then India would be forced to act unilaterally even if that may result in one thing nobody wants: WAR

Government of Pakistan is today in a precarious position:: if it does not act then it has to be ready to face action from India, however on the other hand it is not in a position to act in the manner in which it is being called upon to act by India.

Everybody who has been following up Pakistan’s politics knows that the limits of jurisdiction and power of the Democratic Government of Pakistan are circumscribed by their Masters the Pakistani Army. It is this very army which has for years trained the various terrorist organization and individuals, who are responsible for the Mumbai Attacks and whose handover is now being demanded by the Indian Government. Asking the Army to handover the terrorists to India is like asking a mother to handover her children to the police as they have committed an offence and that does not happen, except in Bollywood Movies. So clearly the Pakistani Army cannot handover the terrorists and what the Army cannot do, we cannot expect poor Zardari to do, howsoever good his intentions may be.

So the plight of the Pakistan Government is this:: that it does not want to be seen as supporting those who are responsible for the Mumbai Attacks but on the other hand it also cannot take any action against those elements, lest it may be upset the Army.

So what is the best solution Pakistan has today.

Create Confusion as to who is really responsible for the attacks.

At this moment of need, Pakistan found an unlikely partner in it’s quest to shift responsibility of the Attack. That partner was and is none other than the Indian Media and when I say Indian media that does not only mean only the usual hype creating channels, but also the much admired channels like NDTV, CNN IBN, Etc.

Since the end of the attacks these channels have been crying themselves hoarse fixing the responsibility of the attacks and running and some times even initiating campaigns demanding actions against the guilty.

But strangely the targets of their campaigns and attacks were not the Terrorists and their sponsors, but was the Government of India and the Politicians of India.

Every channel was seen extorting, encouraging and instigating the people of India to rise against the Government of India. The People were being made to believe that the Politicians were responsible for the attack and should be punished:

Because the attack occurred due to the lapses on the part of the Government and security agencies; Because we don’t attack and carpet bomb terrorists camps like America did after 9/11.Because every police man on the road is not given a AK-47;Because American and British Police has better guns and safety equipment which is not provided to our policemen; Because all NSGs are busy securing the politicians and not the ordinary people;Because politicians don’t know how it is to lose family members in terror attack and they would have acted differently if their family members were killed,Because Ram Gopal Verma was taken to Taj and some Naqvi was discussing lipsticks.Because all politicians our country has ever had were thieves;

Almost all the above reasons are so naïve that explaining the inherent foolishness in them to a sensible person would be an insult to the intellect of that person.

However for the sake of the media it needs to be pointed out that we don’t attack other countries like America does and/or we do not have the same number of security personnel, weapons and safety equipment like America has, because we are not America. America is the Sole Superpower in the world with enormous financial resources. We are a developing country, with Crores of our citizens outside our metros living in abject poverty. Though we may be developing fast and have the promise of becoming a superpower like America some decades down the time line, but please don’t get carried away by the hype. We are getting there but we are still not there. Millions of our countrymen do not have access to food, water, sanitation, education and medical treatment. Not very far from Mumbai in Vidharba hundreds of farmers commit suicide every year due to poverty.

Every Rupee, which is spent by the Government on security, on buying guns, on buying bullet proof jackets and training commandoes, takes away some morsels of food from the mouth of a hungry citizen of our country and in many cases the morsel taken away could have resulted in saving the life of that hungry citizen.

Does that means that security of India is not important? No it does not.

Security and Sovereignty of India is the most important thing both for India and for Indians.

However the needs for security and the needs of the poor citizen of our country have to be balanced. It is a precarious job and who has to do it. It is the poor Neta who has to walk this fine line and use the limited funds at the disposal of our country and provide for both the needs of security and the needs of the common man. So a budget is prepared by the Government, some guns are bought and some food is also purchased. Limited money necessarily means that we do not have sufficient guns and we do not have sufficient food, and we only have some guns and some food. The problem is that the rich of this Country do not know that the money is limited. When they see people dying of hunger they blame the government for not having sufficient food and when they see people dying in terror attacks then they blame the government for not having sufficient guns. They only know one thing that is how to blame.

Today when the media would have us believe that all the Netas that have ever been born in Our Country have been and are thieves and Dogs, just wait for a minute and ponder that these Chors and Dogs are the ones who have given us democracy and right to choose, the freedom to protest and free media. It is these leaders who have within fifty years of our Nation attaining freedom brought us to a situation wherein even the Sole Super Power of the World has to reluctantly admit that by 2025 i.e. in only 15 more years India would be one of three power centers of the world, alongwith US and China. America has taken hundreds of years to get where we are likely to get in 75 years of our freedom. Even the thought is gratifying.

We owe our position in the world to atleast some extent to our leaders. Howsoever bad they may be, howsoever corrupt they may, howsoever uncouth and uncultured they might seem to be, it is they who have brought us to this level that today anywhere in the world if you are an Indian you are respected and looked upto.

Some people would make you believe that we have achieved this not because of our leaders but inspite of them. It needs to be understood that this claim would be fallacious. A country’s future is very much inked with the quality of leadership which is provided to it by the politicians and bureaucrats. The people of a country howsoever intellectually and entrepreneurially brilliant they might be alone cannot shape the future of their country. Had it not been so then our two neighbors Pakistan and Bangladesh whose citizens share almost the same genetic code would have been placed as well as we are today. No need to point out that they are not.

Some fanatics would claim that those were Muslim countries with predominantly Muslim population and the growth of India is powered only by the brilliance of it’s largely Hindu population. The fallacy of this argument would become evident from only one name:: President Kalam, undoubtedly one of the most brilliant sons of India whose role in the growth of India is for all to see.

The most important difference between India and Pakistan and Bangladesh was that we were and are a democracy ruled by elected and secular leaders and the other countries were dictatorships ruled by those who were more interested in pursuing their fundamentalist and personal agendas.

Thus what emerges from the aforesaid discussion, is that though some may be, but all politicians were and are not dogs or chors as the Indian Media would want you to believe.

But am I implying that the leaders of our country and the Government are faultless and above reproach. ……. NO… that is not what I am implying.

The Government of India and the Individuals who form part of it are responsible for the safety and security of every single citizen of our country. Whenever even one life is lost in situations where it could have been protected then the responsibility lies with them. In the present attacks also various confirmed and unconfirmed reports have come up which say that intelligence warnings were ignored and this resulted in the present attacks being carried out. If it so than responsibility would have to be fixed and all those responsible would have to be taken to task. The officers responsible would have to lose their jobs and the politicians responsible would have to lose their seats.

I have no objections to this, in fact I would support and demand this whole heartedly.

My objections lie elsewhere.

I believe that the turn of our politicians and officers, who neglected their duty to pay the price for their lapses, would come later. First the perpetrators of the crime need to be punished.

The attack was carried out by terrorists who came from foreign soil and killed hundreds of our brothers and sisters and held our country to ransom for around sixty hours.

The first responsibly for this attack lies with these terrorists and their sponsors, backers and protectors, whether in or outside India.

The first and foremost duty of the Government of India and the people of India is to identify and punish those who are part of these terror groups and who are their backers and supporters. We owe it to our great nation and also to those who have lost their lives in these attacks and to their families. The response needs to be swift and pardon me for saying so but it has to be brutal. A message should go to the world that India has suffered enough and it will not take it anymore. A message should go that India will take all steps required to be taken for protecting the sovereignty and security of our country, irrespective of the implications and consequences. A message should go that we are all united in this efforts, irrespective of our religion, caste, creed and region.

However unfortunately our free and independent media which has been for years been one of the pillars of our democracy, has failed us at the time when it’s services were required most by us. Instead of unifying the people it has adopted a divisive role, much to the liking of our enemies across the borders. Today though India stands united in it’s quest to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai Attacks to justice, our Media is constantly and relentlessly conveying to the world that the anger of Indian people is directed more against Government and the system then the terrorists. It is conveying to Pakistan that we believe that our Government and security services are the ones to blame for the attack and that is the line Pakistan has since picked up and is constantly parroting on all national and international channels. Even the western media which had been this time very supportive of India has now started reporting that Indians are fed up with their Government, which has failed to provide security to the people.

United Front against Terror.

No. there exists none, and our enemies have our electronic media to thank for it.

At a stage when even the worst of people, worst of nations and the worst of media would have closed ranks behind it’s Government to strengthen the hand of the Government and enable it to act strongly against the terrorists, our so called free media proudly went around lampooning the Government of the Day and the whole political class. Yesterday in a press conference even the highest ranked military officials of our country, who have devoted decades of their lives in serving the country were not spared by semi educated 20 some things who call themselves media reporters and claim to be the upholders of the voice of India inspite of the fact that they have no record of any national or public service. Forcing the Official to ask a question which has been for many days reverberating in the minds of many reasonable Indians, the question being:: Who are your Masters?

Had channels like NDTV and CNN IBN not been involved in creating this Hysteria against the Government and the political class, I would myself has asked this question as to who are the masters who are compelling the media to take a stand which every reasonable citizen of this Country knows is presently acting against the interests of India. However I cannot believe that people like Dr. Roy or Rajdeep Sardesai would ever knowingly do things, which would weaken the hands of the Government of India and thus India itself, when they are engaged in the most important war that India has ever fought.

But whether they know it or not, they are doing exactly that.

By speaking in one voice with Pakistan they are weakening not only the Government but also India.

It should be understood that today India needs to act firmly and in determined manner.

India is at War.

India is at War with terrorists and each and every element, which supports them or justifies their actions in any manner. India is also at War with everybody who obstructs India during this time of War.

However it should be understood that India acts and can act only through it’s Government.

So the war, which is being fought or has to be fought, will have to be fought by the Government of India. It cannot be fought by media crews or people, who think of national interest, only when they are participating in TV talk shows.

So today when we oppose or encourage people to oppose the Government of India we oppose India itself.

When the Media lampoons the Government then it also lampoons the People of India.

I request the electronic media to stop.

I request them to stop raising the anti government frenzy.

I request them to stop asking leading questions regarding anger of the people against the Government.

I request them to call to their shows sensible people like Aamir Khan who can speak about responsibility of the citizens and not people like Simi Garewal who extort people not to pay taxes. Every individual has a right to express his or her views but at such sensitive time the media needs to exercise it’s judgment as to who are the people sensible enough to be permitted to use this platform to publish their views. Media also needs to appreciate that India is more than Bollywood. Even in the city of Mumbai the citizenry is not limited to film actors, directors and models. Off course the views of these people are also relevant and need to be respected as they are also citizens of India, however Mumbai has a large intelligentsia consisting of doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, scholars, etc. which also has a point of view. Their view should also be placed before the Country and believe me their views/suggestions would not only be beneficial for the people of India but also show some light to the electronic media which has lost it’s way in this moment of crisis.

I also request them to understand that this moment of frenzy would pass and the effect of their government bashing campaign would dilute in some time. However if by that time this frenzy has in any way effected India’s attempts to bring the terrorist to book, then the media would be answerable to the People of India for this.

So I call upon the electronic media to wake up and see who the real enemy is?

I call upon them to take a cue from the print media and understand what responsible and nationalist reporting is all about.

I call upon them to Be reasonable and Be Indian and then even they would understand that our enemy today is the Terrorist and not the Government of India.

It is the duty of every Indian to support the Government of India in it’s war against terror. To make every sacrifice which we are called upon to make to ensure the success of our Country in this war.

Once this war is over and India has prevailed, then the turn of our leaders would come to answer for their mistakes.

But till then this Government is our Government and we should stand behind it.

Is it that when today I hear the Pakistani Leaders speak on Mumbai Attacks I only hear a repetition of the line, which has been adopted by the Indian media.

Or should I put it the other way around.

Why is it that when I open any Indian News channel I only hear the line, which is being adopted by the Pakistani Establishment and Media.

Which way I put it really does not matter.

What matters is that now for many days the Indian Media and the Pakistanis Establishment has been speaking in one voice and jointly claiming that the Mumbai Attacks have been caused due to the failure of Indian Government and it’s intelligence and defence services.

The Pakistani Establishment and the terrorists, seem to have now discovered the merits of the golden rule that had been propounded by our erstwhile British Rulers::

DIVIDE and RULE.

Pakistan is aware that India is enraged due to the Mumbai Attacks.

It is also aware from the reactions of the Indian People and the Government of India that this time the matter cannot be and would not be brushed under the Carpet and definitive action would be taken against the terrorists and their sponsors. Government of Pakistan is aware that if it does not co-operate in the war against those who are responsible for the attacks, then India would be forced to act unilaterally even if that may result in one thing nobody wants: WAR

Government of Pakistan is today in a precarious position:: if it does not act then it has to be ready to face action from India, however on the other hand it is not in a position to act in the manner in which it is being called upon to act by India.

Everybody who has been following up Pakistan’s politics knows that the limits of jurisdiction and power of the Democratic Government of Pakistan are circumscribed by their Masters the Pakistani Army. It is this very army which has for years trained the various terrorist organization and individuals, who are responsible for the Mumbai Attacks and whose handover is now being demanded by the Indian Government. Asking the Army to handover the terrorists to India is like asking a mother to handover her children to the police as they have committed an offence and that does not happen, except in Bollywood Movies. So clearly the Pakistani Army cannot handover the terrorists and what the Army cannot do, we cannot expect poor Zardari to do, howsoever good his intentions may be.

So the plight of the Pakistan Government is this:: that it does not want to be seen as supporting those who are responsible for the Mumbai Attacks but on the other hand it also cannot take any action against those elements, lest it may be upset the Army.

So what is the best solution Pakistan has today.

Create Confusion as to who is really responsible for the attacks.

At this moment of need, Pakistan found an unlikely partner in it’s quest to shift responsibility of the Attack. That partner was and is none other than the Indian Media and when I say Indian media that does not only mean only the usual hype creating channels, but also the much admired channels like NDTV, CNN IBN, Etc.

Since the end of the attacks these channels have been crying themselves hoarse fixing the responsibility of the attacks and running and some times even initiating campaigns demanding actions against the guilty.

But strangely the targets of their campaigns and attacks were not the Terrorists and their sponsors, but was the Government of India and the Politicians of India.

Every channel was seen extorting, encouraging and instigating the people of India to rise against the Government of India. The People were being made to believe that the Politicians were responsible for the attack and should be punished:

Because the attack occurred due to the lapses on the part of the Government and security agencies; Because we don’t attack and carpet bomb terrorists camps like America did after 9/11.Because every police man on the road is not given a AK-47;Because American and British Police has better guns and safety equipment which is not provided to our policemen; Because all NSGs are busy securing the politicians and not the ordinary people;Because politicians don’t know how it is to lose family members in terror attack and they would have acted differently if their family members were killed,Because Ram Gopal Verma was taken to Taj and some Naqvi was discussing lipsticks.Because all politicians our country has ever had were thieves;

Almost all the above reasons are so naïve that explaining the inherent foolishness in them to a sensible person would be an insult to the intellect of that person.

However for the sake of the media it needs to be pointed out that we don’t attack other countries like America does and/or we do not have the same number of security personnel, weapons and safety equipment like America has, because we are not America. America is the Sole Superpower in the world with enormous financial resources. We are a developing country, with Crores of our citizens outside our metros living in abject poverty. Though we may be developing fast and have the promise of becoming a superpower like America some decades down the time line, but please don’t get carried away by the hype. We are getting there but we are still not there. Millions of our countrymen do not have access to food, water, sanitation, education and medical treatment. Not very far from Mumbai in Vidharba hundreds of farmers commit suicide every year due to poverty.

Every Rupee, which is spent by the Government on security, on buying guns, on buying bullet proof jackets and training commandoes, takes away some morsels of food from the mouth of a hungry citizen of our country and in many cases the morsel taken away could have resulted in saving the life of that hungry citizen.

Does that means that security of India is not important? No it does not.

Security and Sovereignty of India is the most important thing both for India and for Indians.

However the needs for security and the needs of the poor citizen of our country have to be balanced. It is a precarious job and who has to do it. It is the poor Neta who has to walk this fine line and use the limited funds at the disposal of our country and provide for both the needs of security and the needs of the common man. So a budget is prepared by the Government, some guns are bought and some food is also purchased. Limited money necessarily means that we do not have sufficient guns and we do not have sufficient food, and we only have some guns and some food. The problem is that the rich of this Country do not know that the money is limited. When they see people dying of hunger they blame the government for not having sufficient food and when they see people dying in terror attacks then they blame the government for not having sufficient guns. They only know one thing that is how to blame.

Today when the media would have us believe that all the Netas that have ever been born in Our Country have been and are thieves and Dogs, just wait for a minute and ponder that these Chors and Dogs are the ones who have given us democracy and right to choose, the freedom to protest and free media. It is these leaders who have within fifty years of our Nation attaining freedom brought us to a situation wherein even the Sole Super Power of the World has to reluctantly admit that by 2025 i.e. in only 15 more years India would be one of three power centers of the world, alongwith US and China. America has taken hundreds of years to get where we are likely to get in 75 years of our freedom. Even the thought is gratifying.

We owe our position in the world to atleast some extent to our leaders. Howsoever bad they may be, howsoever corrupt they may, howsoever uncouth and uncultured they might seem to be, it is they who have brought us to this level that today anywhere in the world if you are an Indian you are respected and looked upto.

Some people would make you believe that we have achieved this not because of our leaders but inspite of them. It needs to be understood that this claim would be fallacious. A country’s future is very much inked with the quality of leadership which is provided to it by the politicians and bureaucrats. The people of a country howsoever intellectually and entrepreneurially brilliant they might be alone cannot shape the future of their country. Had it not been so then our two neighbors Pakistan and Bangladesh whose citizens share almost the same genetic code would have been placed as well as we are today. No need to point out that they are not.

Some fanatics would claim that those were Muslim countries with predominantly Muslim population and the growth of India is powered only by the brilliance of it’s largely Hindu population. The fallacy of this argument would become evident from only one name:: President Kalam, undoubtedly one of the most brilliant sons of India whose role in the growth of India is for all to see.

The most important difference between India and Pakistan and Bangladesh was that we were and are a democracy ruled by elected and secular leaders and the other countries were dictatorships ruled by those who were more interested in pursuing their fundamentalist and personal agendas.

Thus what emerges from the aforesaid discussion, is that though some may be, but all politicians were and are not dogs or chors as the Indian Media would want you to believe.

But am I implying that the leaders of our country and the Government are faultless and above reproach. ……. NO… that is not what I am implying.

The Government of India and the Individuals who form part of it are responsible for the safety and security of every single citizen of our country. Whenever even one life is lost in situations where it could have been protected then the responsibility lies with them. In the present attacks also various confirmed and unconfirmed reports have come up which say that intelligence warnings were ignored and this resulted in the present attacks being carried out. If it so than responsibility would have to be fixed and all those responsible would have to be taken to task. The officers responsible would have to lose their jobs and the politicians responsible would have to lose their seats.

I have no objections to this, in fact I would support and demand this whole heartedly.

My objections lie elsewhere.

I believe that the turn of our politicians and officers, who neglected their duty to pay the price for their lapses, would come later. First the perpetrators of the crime need to be punished.

The attack was carried out by terrorists who came from foreign soil and killed hundreds of our brothers and sisters and held our country to ransom for around sixty hours.

The first responsibly for this attack lies with these terrorists and their sponsors, backers and protectors, whether in or outside India.

The first and foremost duty of the Government of India and the people of India is to identify and punish those who are part of these terror groups and who are their backers and supporters. We owe it to our great nation and also to those who have lost their lives in these attacks and to their families. The response needs to be swift and pardon me for saying so but it has to be brutal. A message should go to the world that India has suffered enough and it will not take it anymore. A message should go that India will take all steps required to be taken for protecting the sovereignty and security of our country, irrespective of the implications and consequences. A message should go that we are all united in this efforts, irrespective of our religion, caste, creed and region.

However unfortunately our free and independent media which has been for years been one of the pillars of our democracy, has failed us at the time when it’s services were required most by us. Instead of unifying the people it has adopted a divisive role, much to the liking of our enemies across the borders. Today though India stands united in it’s quest to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai Attacks to justice, our Media is constantly and relentlessly conveying to the world that the anger of Indian people is directed more against Government and the system then the terrorists. It is conveying to Pakistan that we believe that our Government and security services are the ones to blame for the attack and that is the line Pakistan has since picked up and is constantly parroting on all national and international channels. Even the western media which had been this time very supportive of India has now started reporting that Indians are fed up with their Government, which has failed to provide security to the people.

United Front against Terror.

No. there exists none, and our enemies have our electronic media to thank for it.

At a stage when even the worst of people, worst of nations and the worst of media would have closed ranks behind it’s Government to strengthen the hand of the Government and enable it to act strongly against the terrorists, our so called free media proudly went around lampooning the Government of the Day and the whole political class. Yesterday in a press conference even the highest ranked military officials of our country, who have devoted decades of their lives in serving the country were not spared by semi educated 20 some things who call themselves media reporters and claim to be the upholders of the voice of India inspite of the fact that they have no record of any national or public service. Forcing the Official to ask a question which has been for many days reverberating in the minds of many reasonable Indians, the question being:: Who are your Masters?

Had channels like NDTV and CNN IBN not been involved in creating this Hysteria against the Government and the political class, I would myself has asked this question as to who are the masters who are compelling the media to take a stand which every reasonable citizen of this Country knows is presently acting against the interests of India. However I cannot believe that people like Dr. Roy or Rajdeep Sardesai would ever knowingly do things, which would weaken the hands of the Government of India and thus India itself, when they are engaged in the most important war that India has ever fought.

But whether they know it or not, they are doing exactly that.

By speaking in one voice with Pakistan they are weakening not only the Government but also India.

It should be understood that today India needs to act firmly and in determined manner.

India is at War.

India is at War with terrorists and each and every element, which supports them or justifies their actions in any manner. India is also at War with everybody who obstructs India during this time of War.

However it should be understood that India acts and can act only through it’s Government.

So the war, which is being fought or has to be fought, will have to be fought by the Government of India. It cannot be fought by media crews or people, who think of national interest, only when they are participating in TV talk shows.

So today when we oppose or encourage people to oppose the Government of India we oppose India itself.

When the Media lampoons the Government then it also lampoons the People of India.

I request the electronic media to stop.

I request them to stop raising the anti government frenzy.

I request them to stop asking leading questions regarding anger of the people against the Government.

I request them to call to their shows sensible people like Aamir Khan who can speak about responsibility of the citizens and not people like Simi Garewal who extort people not to pay taxes. Every individual has a right to express his or her views but at such sensitive time the media needs to exercise it’s judgment as to who are the people sensible enough to be permitted to use this platform to publish their views. Media also needs to appreciate that India is more than Bollywood. Even in the city of Mumbai the citizenry is not limited to film actors, directors and models. Off course the views of these people are also relevant and need to be respected as they are also citizens of India, however Mumbai has a large intelligentsia consisting of doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, scholars, etc. which also has a point of view. Their view should also be placed before the Country and believe me their views/suggestions would not only be beneficial for the people of India but also show some light to the electronic media which has lost it’s way in this moment of crisis.

I also request them to understand that this moment of frenzy would pass and the effect of their government bashing campaign would dilute in some time. However if by that time this frenzy has in any way effected India’s attempts to bring the terrorist to book, then the media would be answerable to the People of India for this.

So I call upon the electronic media to wake up and see who the real enemy is?

I call upon them to take a cue from the print media and understand what responsible and nationalist reporting is all about.

I call upon them to Be reasonable and Be Indian and then even they would understand that our enemy today is the Terrorist and not the Government of India.

It is the duty of every Indian to support the Government of India in it’s war against terror. To make every sacrifice which we are called upon to make to ensure the success of our Country in this war.

Once this war is over and India has prevailed, then the turn of our leaders would come to answer for their mistakes.

But till then this Government is our Government and we should stand behind it.

NDTV: A very popular TV news media is funded by Gospels of Charity in Spain Supports Communism. Recently it has developed a soft corner towards Pakistan because Pakistan President has allowed only this channel to be aired inPakistan . Indian CEO Prannoy Roy is co-brother of Prakash Karat, GeneralSecretary of the Communist party of India . His wife and Brinda Karat aresisters.

India Today which used to be the only national weekly which supported BJP is now bought by NDTV!! Since then the tone has changed drastically and turned into Hindu bashing.

CNN-IBN: This is 100 percent funded by Southern Baptist Church with itsbranches in all over the world with HQ in US.. The Church annually allocates $800 million for promotion of its channel. Its Indian head is RajdeepSardesai and his wife Sagarika Ghosh.

Times group list:

Times Of India, Mid-Day, Nav-Bharth Times, Stardust, Femina, Vijay Times,Vijaya Karnataka, Times now (24- hour news channel) and many more...

Times Group is owned by Bennet & Coleman. 'World Christian Council¢ does 80percent of the Funding, and an Englishman and an Italian equally sharebalance 20 percent. The Italian Robertio Mindo is a close relative of Sonia Gandhi. Star TV: It is run by an Australian, who is supported by St. PetersPontifical Church Melbourne.

Hindustan Times: Owned by Birla Group, but hands have changed since Shobana Bhartiya took over. Presently it is working in Collaboration with TimesGroup.

The Hindu: English daily, started over 125 years has been recently takenover by Joshua Society, Berne , Switzerland .. N. Ram's wife is a Swissnational.

Indian Express: Divided into two groups. The Indian Express and new IndianExpress (southern edition) ACTS Christian Ministries have major stake in the Indian Express and latter is still with the Indian counterpart.

Eeenadu: Still to date controlled by an Indian named Ramoji Rao.Ramoji Rao is connected with film industry and owns a huge studio in Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Jyothi: The Muslim party of Hyderabad known as MIM along with aCongress Minister has purchased this Telugu daily very recently.

The Statesman: It is controlled by Communist Party of India.

Kairali TV: It is controlled by Communist party of India (Marxist)

Mathrubhoomi: Leaders of Muslim League and Communist leaders have majorinvestment.

Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle: Is owned by a Saudi Arabian Company with its chief Editor M.J. Akbar.

Gujarat riots which took place in 2002 where Hindus were burnt alive,Rajdeep Sardesai and Bharkha Dutt working for NDTV at that time gotaround 5 Million Dollars from Saudi Arabia to cover only Muslim victims,which they did very faithfully... Not a single Hindu family was interviewed or shown on TV whose near and dear ones had been burnt alive, it isreported.

Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka.com regularly gets blankcheques from Arab countries to target BJP and Hindus only, it is said.

The ownership explains the control of media in India by foreigners. Theresult is obvious.

PONDER OVER THIS. NOW YOU KNOW WHY EVERY ONE IS AGAINST TRUTH, HOW VERY SAD.

The Anonymous guy/gal is one pessimist bone. He suspects everybody it seems. Guess this ppl all the media channels in India are either run by Muslim funds or by Communist funds. Seems the Right wing hinduvta ppl own nothing. Rather than crying hoarse why dont u exhort Right wing Hindus to invest in the media. Besides some of ur claims have got no reliable sources like Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt and Tarun Tejpal taking money for biased broadcast.Good work of sensationalising stuff. Carry on. Poor media specially Times Group. Everybody hates them. Hardline Muslims think its biased against them(TOI and times Now have been threatened time and again by Indian Mujahideen) and now even so called Rightist's like u r critisizing them. You r doing the easiest job in the world. Sitting and critisizing that too being anonymous. Most of the media houses u mentioned above r owned by Hindus. U seem to suggest that Hindus can do anything to get funds and all the funds are only provided either by Cristians or Muslims. I dont think so. The ppl u r accusing r sum of Indias best journos. U show nothing to prove that they get foreign funds. Even if they do dsnt imply they sell themselves in return for it. i think the media did a tremendous job over the last 2 weeks. The Government has to be held accountable. The Union Home minister has accepted in Parliament today that they had prior intel but due to lack of co ordination cudnt act on time. If the media stops broadcasting news related to the ATTACKS FOR 1 week everybody will forget it and life will be back to square one where we wait for another attack too hit us. Their doing their job. Let us do ours rather than critisizing them.Jai HindAllah Hafiz.

At such times.. presence of mind is something wich comes handy.. and i suppose none of dose people in dere.. who had to forsake deir lives in d name of terror..cud even think of nethin as saving oders lives..

The actual..stories.. many in fact.. must hv remained outta coverage..out of the media's reach..

We never knw wat was actually d situation in dere..wat went thru d minds of dose who were held hostages...We can of course hope dat the cruel tormentors.. the inhuman twerps.. the heartless scoundrels.. who masterminded dis attack..are caught red-handed.. ASAP..

And dat the judiciary of Our nation comes up wid a radical change in its functioning..

so dat d implementation of the verdict is carried out..without takin too long.. as in d case of the '93 blasts case..

Hoping dat the spark of unision dat dis episode has lit up.. within the minds of the countrymen.. steadily glows.. and remains flickering all throughout...

DAT in dis hour of crisis...atleast our political parties come in together.. and rack deir brains .. effectively coming out wid a solution..wich shall appease d entire nation.. and help to re-invoke d lost trust...

Hoping dat d common man continues wid his pace of life.. as it was prior to d attacks..

Taking everything dat comes his way.. as d way of life..!!*Life has 2 b lived forwards.. though it can b understood only backwards.. [:(]

And yes.. as Sunita said..we all need to look after our own security.. our own safety..